Deduction, Not Induction
by River of Oblivion
Summary: A form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from the premises.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Shawn, Juliet, Gus, the Chief, or even Lassie-face. They belong to Steve Franks, who does a much better job with their characters than I._

_A/N: So I was rewatching "Scary Sherry" and the episode inspired me to write a bit of an epilogue as my first 'Psych' story. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

It had been a long day, an even longer week and, Juliet O'Hara mused, Interim Chief Vick had been right…adding baking soda to her bath had definitely helped to ease the tension.

Not that anything could completely erase the terror of having someone try to chop your head off with an ax.

She was proud that she'd been able to hold it together long enough to disarm her attacker, but by then the adrenaline and fear had her acting purely on instinct. For a fraction of a second she'd actually considered hacking Alice Bundy to pieces; then rational thought kicked back in, largely due to the fact that her partner and a certain psychic came bursting into the room. She'd heard something then, in said psychic's tone, that had her letting go, seen something in his expression that brought her back to earth then sent her flying to the moon again.

It was the look in his eyes as he pulled the ax out of her vise-like grip--that was what had finally convinced her he cared about her.

Shawn Spencer may have been able to 'read' her at the diner that first morning, but Juliet had him pegged by the next time they met. He was a ladies' man, a player, a modern day Don Juan in jeans. Guys like him were only looking for a good time, and when they tired of whatever girl they were with, they left them with nothing for comfort but Ben and his good friend Jerry. Sure she was attracted to him; he was charming and witty, with boyish good looks, a flare for the dramatic and an 'amor de la vida' she was sure she'd never see matched. There was potential there, the possibility for something more than mere magnetism, but she knew it would never happen. She wasn't clueless or naïve, despite what some of the men in blue thought about their young, female coworker; she'd been around the block enough times to know that dating someone like Shawn was a recipe for heartbreak.

But then he'd gone and given her that look, and everything Juliet thought she knew came crashing down around her.

She didn't know quite what to make of this startling revelation. It didn't change anything, of course; she wasn't going to date someone she had to work with. _Been there done that, _she thought wryly. Those kinds of relationships tended to cause problems for everyone involved.

Still, at the very least it was flattering; and, even though she would never admit it to anyone else, it would make it that much harder to reject him in the future.

Juliet twisted the hot water handle on with her toes, frowning as an upsetting thought suddenly popped into her head. She might not have to say anything to anyone; Shawn was a psychic after all.

Now there was a terrifying notion. What if he already knew how she felt about him?

_Brrriiiinnnnggg_

The ringing of the phone reverberated through her empty house and Juliet nearly jumped out of her skin.

While she waited for her heart to stop pounding in her throat, she contemplated just letting the machine do the answering for her. She lowered herself further into the tub, nearly sneezing as the bubbles tickled her nose. The phone rang twice more before she grabbed a towel and stepped out of the water, thinking that maybe Vick or Lassiter were calling about the case.

Juliet sprinted down the hall, nearly tripping over her two cats who had taken up residence outside the bathroom door.

She reached the phone just as the machine beeped in, "Hello?"

A pause, then, "Jules?"

"Shawn," she sighed, relieved that she wouldn't be called upon to rehash her experience "It's just you."

An instant later, her relief turned to surprise and dismay. She had just been thinking about the incorrigible psychic; what if her thoughts had somehow reached him?

"Thanks for the ego boost Jules," he mock-pouted; she could almost see his bottom lip jutting out.

"No, it's not that," she started to shake her head before she realized he couldn't see him. Then again, this was Shawn she was speaking to.

He chuckled, "Yeah, I know; I wouldn't want to talk to Lassie if I didn't have to either."

Juliet snorted, but the comment made her smile despite herself.

"There you go; there's that beautiful smile I love."

The compliment wouldn't have made any sense coming from anyone but the Santa Barbara P.D.'s lead psychic. As it was, the accolade made her blush.

Shawn cleared his throat, and she could sense the mood instantly shift, "Seriously though, Juliet, how are you?"

The sober tone his voice had attained, along with his use of her full name, took her by surprise. She was so taken aback that she had to take a few moments to collect her thoughts.

"Jules?" she must have been silent longer than she'd realized, "Are you all right?"

That was a loaded question.

She briefly passed a hand over her face, "Yeah, yeah Shawn, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He sounded skeptical, "Because I've still got a couple slices of pizza left; I can steal Gus' car and be over there…"

"No, that's okay," Juliet quickly interrupted, clutching her towel tighter, "I just got out of the tub."

There was silence on the other end, and she didn't have to be a psychic to know that Shawn's face had split into a wide grin.

"Shaaaawwwn," Juliet drew his name out in warning.

"What?" His tone was infuriatingly smug, "No need to get all flustered, Jules."

She gently rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."

"Hey, before I go can I ask you a question?" Shawn sounded serious again.

Leaning up against the wall, Juliet raised an eyebrow, "Shoot."

"Are you wearing a printed towel, or do you prefer solid colors?"

"Shawn!"

"Okay okay!" he laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow at the station."

Oh yes, that's right; she had to go back to work in the morning. The real world didn't come to a halt simply because an angry girl decided to channel Lizzie Borden.

"Juliet?" His voice had changed again; this tone was the same one he'd used when he found her in the candlelit room of Wispy Sunny Pines.

She worried her lower lip, "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say…" Shawn hesitated and Juliet held her breath in anticipation.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really glad you didn't get hacked to pieces today," he finished.

She smiled softly, "Thanks Shawn."

As she hung up the phone and shuffled back down the hall to her rapidly cooling bath, Juliet's smile remained fixed in place.

In the future, she really wouldn't need baking soda to help ease her tension.

Talking to Shawn would do the job quite nicely.


End file.
